The temple was built in AD 686 and is positioned near the top of a mountain. There is a covered stairway leading up that’s strewn with flowers and lined with stone lanterns.

The Ajisai Matsuri (Hydrangea Festival) is held annually from mid-June until early July in Otawara. About 6,000 hydrangea flowers bloom, awakening this isolated town into a small local festival.

Since I moved to Chiba Prefecture, I found a garden I really fell in love with, this beautiful garden is “Keisei bara en” it is a 30,000 square meter and the area has 10,000 roses of 1,600 varieties.

The ultimate reason to why the area of Hiruzen is so cool compared to other parts of Western Japan is the altitude of where this place is located along with all the mountain ranges and dense forests which help block off rays from the sun.

Yoshino, located in Southern Nara is home to many ancient histories and primitive vegetation of Japan. The well preserved historical assets and the unspoiled scenery of Yoshino reflect the fundamentals of Japan and it isn’t too exaggerated to state that it portrays the landscape of the heart of Japanese people.

Approximately 11km east from Nara Park, lies an ancient trail called Yagyu Kaido. This track once served as pilgrimage for mountain Buddhists, a form of mountain asceticism during the Nara and Heian period, therefore many historical sites, monuments, and ruins of the time remain here barely touched.

Japanese people are known to have followed Sangakushinko; a type of animism during ancient times which mountains are worshiped as gods, and Mt. Katsuragi was most certainly one of which people of Nara considered it as their sacred icon.

Kawasaki, a city in Kanagawa-ken, has a 1.2-hectare park named Ikuta Ryokuchi. They have many places to visit such as Kawasaki Municipal Science Museum, Japan Open Air Folk House Museum, Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Yomiuri Land, and Kawasaki Art Center. But the one that I will share here is the rose garden.

Two hours from Tokyo, Ibaraki Prefecture is divided into 3 main areas: Tsukuba, Mito and Hitachinaka, with Hitachinaka being the most popular. The area is especially famous for the furry red flowers of its Kochia festival held at Hitachi Seaside Park in autumn, but offers beautiful scenery in every season.

Located just 15 minutes from Ikebukuro, Toshimaen Amusement Park is packed with an astounding variety of hydrangeas for its small size and is well worth a visit to soothe away the stress of city life. Hydrangeas are beautiful, hydrophilic flowers that bloom throughout the melancholy month of June in vivid shades of blue, pink, and purple.

Summer time calls for two things in Japan, beach trips and sunflower viewing.

While there is plenty of nature to discover in the Kawaguchiko area, I'd like to introduce you to the Kawaguchi-ko Herb Festival, held here annually in June and July, during which you can enjoy panoramic views of Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi, all while surrounded by blooming lavender and other herb flowers.